The Thursford Collection - Steam museum

The Thursford Collection The Thursford Collection is Steam Restored into a
living past. If you have an interest in anything from the past which is driven by steam or
Mechanical then Thursford Museum is the place you need to visit.

It was George
Cushing's love of Steam Engines and the despair of watching them being scrapped and cut up
that led to the beginnings of the Thursford collection. George once said 'To me it was as
though the crown jewels were bring sold for scrap, and pebbles were worth more than
diamonds. It seemed that the world had been turned inside out, and I would have
bought them with my last pennies if I had had to'

And buy them he did, over the years, until his big shed and yard behind his home at
Laurel Farm were full of disused engines.

In
1959 George bought a huge Marenghi mechanical organ, which he brought over from Ireland.
When the Gondola roundabout arrived in 1978, it was so large that a very big extension had
to be built, both to house it and to give visitors enough space to stand back and look at
it.

In
1976 the great Wurlitzer arrived and another extension was needed to cope with its 1339
pipes. At the end of 1976, a Trust was formed, which cam into operation on 1st January
1977. Its role is to ensure that the steam engines and organs are permanently
preserved.

Come to Thursford Museum, you will have a fantastic day out full of lights, music and
nostalgia.

As an extra bonus, you will be helping to ensure that the steam age is forever
remembered in Britain and your children will have a superb memory to pass down to their
children.